The present invention relates to a printing system which can directly connect a digital camera and a printing apparatus, and allows the printing apparatus to directly print an image sensed by the digital camera, and also to a digital camera and printing apparatus.
Conventionally, the simplest way to print out an image sensed by a digital camera as a picture is to capture the sensed image into a PC (personal computer) via a predetermined cable if the image is recorded on an internal memory of the camera or via a PC card slot or the like arranged in the PC if the image is recorded on a PC card or the like, and to print out that image after the print conditions for an ink-jet printer (printing apparatus) are set on the PC. More specifically, the PC is interposed between the camera and printer, and the print conditions are set on that PC.
As a method of setting the print conditions upon printing an image sensed by the digital camera, conventional methods that do not use any PC are also available. For example, in one method, a dedicated adapter and TV monitor are inserted between the digital camera and ink-jet printer, and the print conditions for the ink-jet printer are set on that TV monitor. In another method, a dedicated adapter is inserted between the digital camera and ink-jet printer, and the print conditions for the ink-jet printer are set on a built-in liquid crystal monitor of the digital camera.
However, in the conventional method of capturing an image recorded in the digital camera into the PC, since intervention of the PC is required only for the purpose of setting the print conditions for the ink-jet printer, the operator of the ink-jet printer cannot directly print out the sensed image in a desired mode pertaining to the paper size, image quality, and the like.
Also, when the monitor is used only for the purpose of setting the print conditions, setups on the monitor are cumbersome. Furthermore, when the liquid crystal monitor is equipped in the digital camera, a size reduction of the digital camera cannot be attained.
When a dedicated intervening device is used, it requires high cost.